For Eagles, bigger is better across the board

— At an even 6 feet, Jeremy Maclin has gone from being the largest of the Philadelphia Eagles regular wide receivers to the smallest in a span of two seasons.

His position group isn't the only one to experience huge growth since Chip Kelly was named head coach in January 2013, either.

Among the multitude of changes Kelly has made to the roster and every other aspect of the football operation was to go for larger perimeter players on both sides of the line of scrimmage. His receivers and cornerbacks are bigger. Ditto for the outside linebackers and the entire defensive line.

As Kelly said when he was first hired, "big people beat up little people," and he has gone about the process of re-shaping the team exactly the way he predicted.

The team's first "unofficial" depth chart of 2014 was unveiled Monday, and it shows the details. Maclin (6-0) is listed as one of three first-team receivers. Riley Cooper (6-4) and Brad Smith (6-2) are the others. The fourth and continuously ascending receiver is rookie Jordan Matthews, who is 6-3 and plays bigger.

Though any switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defensive base, which is what Kelly implemented upon his arrival, requires larger players throughout the front seven, the size change has been immense. The one-gap defensive tackles from the Andy Reid regime have been replaced by Bennie Logan, who added around 15 pounds in the offseason and rookie Beau Allen (6-2, 333).

Kelly and his staff know that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, but the goal was to grow the wingspans at most positions and take their chances.

And they like those chances.

A lot.

"It really goes in cycles," defensive coordinator Billy Davis said. "But we here like size and length. That's our philosophy, and that's what we think helps us run the scheme we run. So that's why you're seeing us select bigger players."

In that respect, Kelly, hired for his innovations, is just trying to keep up with a literal growing trend.

So in addition to the behind-the-scene shortcomings leaked by anonymous sources to the media about the diminutive (and departed) DeSean Jackson (5-10, 175), the fact is that even if Jackson had been a model citizen in every way, he still would not have been a lock to remain an Eagle because of what Kelly is trying to build here.

The fact that Cooper, whose racial outburst last year could have polarized the locker room, is still with the team and Jackson is not speaks volumes.

"This league is continuing to go that way," Kelly said. "When you think two of the best corners, Patrick Peterson, a guy who just signed an outstanding contract, who I think is one of the tops in the league, [and] Richard Sherman — probably the two highest-paid guys, probably the two best guys, are both big, physical corners, and they're going to try to beat you up on the line of scrimmage.

"If you can't get off the line of scrimmage, you're done. I think that's what we're moving towards. I think the corners are getting bigger in this league and the wideouts are getting bigger. That's one of Riley's strengths, his ability to get off that stuff. No one is going to get off clean and just be running down the field with no one around him for four or five yards. When the ball is up, now you have to be able to go get it. Having a 6-4 guy that's 230 pounds, it helps."

Kelly has not been totally rigid. In addition, to Jackson, he also kept Damaris Johhnson (5-8) on the team last year, and their prized free-agent addition for this season was tiny running back Darren Sproles (5-6). Alas, Johnson likely will be gone by the end of the summer, and the Eagles will continue to grow at most of their positions.

Just the way Kelly envisioned it at the start.

He can't wait for his oversized squad to start beating up on some little people in Chicago when they visit the Bears for their preseason opener on Friday night.